


IF Only

by NicktheHuman



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/M, IF Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicktheHuman/pseuds/NicktheHuman
Summary: A continuation of IF, just to give Makoto and Mukuro a happy ending.
Relationships: Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	IF Only

Class 78 being discovered by the Future Foundation was, for all intents and purposes, a miracle that Mukuro chalked up to the same luck Naegi had in drawing the Escape Button from the MonoMono Machine. She had only ever heard Junko bring up the name once while preparing for the School of Mutual Killing, and she hadn’t realized just how large and instrumental this organization was.

With the broadcast of their escape, the organization was happy to take in most of class 78 and recruit them.

Most of them.

Mukuro had been fully ready to accept that she might be imprisoned or put to death for her crimes. The way the heads of the Future Foundation looked at her, she expected it. She couldn’t say she didn’t deserve it.

She hadn’t expected Makoto Naegi, injuries and all, to hobble in front of the Foundation and defend her passionately. 

It was right around the time the leader of the branch said, “you are of no use to us,” Makoto shouldered his way through the closed doors of the conference room to dramatically point and declare, “No, that’s wrong!” Behind him, Kyoko Kirigiri walked in as well.

“Mr. Naegi, we would ask you stay in the infirmary -”

“Mukuro Ikusaba risked life and limb to save us from Junko’s Killing Game,” He huffed, breathing shakily from the wound in his side. “The only reason we got out is because of her actions and her cooperation with us.”

Kyoko nodded. “He’s correct. She had ample opportunities to kill myself, Makoto, Chihiro and the others, but she instead chose to assist us.”

“The only reason the world is in its current state is because of her and her sister,” The branch leader sighed, aggravated.

“But no one knows Junko better than her sister!” Makoto countered. He turned to Mukuro and asked, “Right? Like you said, you’re the only one who understands her!”

Mukuro got lost momentarily. While she had first come to be attracted to Makoto’s kindness and hope, she had not seen such a tenacious, determined look in all her life. Even on the battlefield, who had ever looked as fierce as he had? “That’s right. I know what Junko is like. What she anticipates.”

“But why should we believe she isn’t just working with her sister still?” Another branch member asked. “You heard her; part of her motivation is to bring her sister despair, because it will make her happy! She still wants to honor her sister in some sick, twisted way.”

Mukuro twiddled her thumbs. Like she had experienced at the school, her language was violence and power. She felt so... powerless here. 

“That makes our goals the same,” Makoto insisted. “If all Junko wants to do is... feel despair...”

“It’s more that despair is the only feeling that gives her any pleasure,” Mukuro explained. “As the Ultimate Analyst, she gets incredibly bored by just about anything. Very few things surprise her, but the only time she’s satisfied is when she feels despair. And by spreading it, it drags the world down with her. But for everything she does, she has a contingency plan where if she fails, she still feels despair because she failed.”

This piqued the curiosity of one of the branch members. “What was the contingency plan for the Mutual Killing Game?”

“If she was found out by any surviving students, she would face all the executions she would have planned for the students, one after another.” Mukuro explained. “All her carefully laid plans would result in her failing to quash the last remaining hope of humanity, and she’d revel in the despair of failing. I’m sure even the executions would be both awful and wonderful for her.” 

Makoto looked pale during the explanation. “That’s... crazy.” 

Mukuro looked down. “That’s just how she’s always been. Causing and spreading despair was the only thing that made her happy. I thought helping her was the only thing I could really do in life.”

“And why should we believe that you’ve changed? Quite frankly the whole thing makes no sense.” The Branch leader asked, “Why stop now? Far past what many would consider the point of no return.”

Mukuro began wringing her hands, nervously. She usually only felt comfortable with a weapon of some sort in her hands; with them being empty she couldn’t help but fidget. “Well... before going to Hope’s Peak I used to not have any connection to the world. I considered myself only relevant to Junko. It changed when I met...” Her eyes darted over to Makoto, who was giving her a patient smile. “M... m... my class.” 

“But why now? You had no problem erasing your classmates memories.” 

“If I may,” Kyoko interrupted. “I believe something changed when Makoto saved her from being killed by Junko.”

Mukuro, whose face was flushed and tinged pink, nodded furiously. “Y-yes. It was M-”

“I believe realizing even her life wouldn’t be spared by her sister, causing a shift in allegiance,” The detective continued. “Although if they had any conversations while Mukuro nursed Makoto back to health, I wouldn’t know.”

“That’s my point,” the branch leader argued. “This could all be part of a plan they devised.” 

Mukuro was about to give up hope, when Makoto spoke up once more. “Listen if you don’t trust her, place her on some kind of probation period. I won’t leave her side until she can prove it to you!” 

The soldier looked up at him in bewilderment, face a bright scarlet. _He’d stay... with me?_

The three branch members looked to each other, considering it. 

“We... could use some more skilled fighters,” a branch member conceded.

“All of you get out,” The leader said, suddenly. “We need to consider the matter.”

The three students were ushered out of the room so the Future Foundation could discuss the matter. Makoto quickly collapsed onto a seat next to the door, clutching his side. 

Kyoko figured Makoto and Mukuro needed some time alone to discuss the matter; it didn’t take any sort of deductive reasoning to get to that conclusion either. Still, as she left, Mukuro said, quietly. “Thank you, Kirigiri.”

Kyoko gave a polite nod, a small smirk, and left around the corner.

“I think we got through to them,” Makoto said weakly, offering Mukuro a sheepish smile.

Mukuro sat down in the chair next to his. “I don’t... understand why you did that for me.”

Makoto said nothing, just exhaled sharply. Mukuro continued, “I’ve done some horrible, unforgivable things. I was the reason you were locked in that school for a year with us. And that you lost your memories of even that. I was the one enacting all of Junko’s plans. Of making the Student Council...”

“I know,” Makoto replied, softly. 

Seeing that this was painful for him, Mukuro stayed silent so he could speak. 

“I’m not in a place to forgive you...” Makoto replied. “But... I heard the way you and Junko talked to each other.”

“In the Nurse’s Office?” Mukuro asked.

Makoto nodded. “Not all of it. But... you’re not a disappointment. You did so much for her. She never would have been able to do any of this stuff without you.”

“All the more confirmation that I am guilty,” Mukuro replied.

Makoto smiled at her weakly. “That you’re guilty... and that you’re a victim of Junko too.”

The answer took Mukuro aback. “Victim... but... I love Junko. I did all of this of my own accord.”

“I have a younger sister too,” Makoto said. “And your feelings towards her aren’t... well, they aren’t normal, Mukuro. No one should live their life giving up everything for their siblings' happiness.”

Mukuro looked down at her knees. “I think I know that you’re right. But this is all I’ve ever known. Can I... confide a worry in you, Makoto?”

He nodded. 

“My concern is that they are right.” She admitted, quietly. “That I’ll never be able to break my sister’s grasp on my mind. That the world is better off without me.”

She froze up as Makoto leaned over and grabbed her hand.

“I don’t think that,” Makoto smiled. “I doubt we would have all made it out alive. Even if the world is against you, I’m really glad you’re here, and that you saved me.”

Mukuro’s face burned scarlet. “You... you saved me first, Makoto.” 

She wasn’t referring to the spears, either.  
\------  
In the end, the Future Foundation put her on probation; she was to always be around at least two other students to keep an eye on her, and one of them was always Mondo or Sakura. The other was usually Makoto. 

That particular memory was months ago. After some time, her restrictions were lessened; she even got some solo missions. 

She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but her favorite missions were when she got to go with Makoto, just the two of them. While he was no Kirigiri, he had a knack for deduction and investigation. Perhaps it was skills developed under fire. The two of them made quite a team, though neither of them really realized it yet.

They were heading to Jabberwock Island, on information that this was the location Junko had been talking about. Immediately upon arrival, they get into a firefight with the Ultimate Despair Mechanic’s robots. As Makoto takes cover behind some rocks, he felt incredibly guilty as he watched Mukuro meticulously take down their attackers. In these situations, he felt useless.

As they came to an ancient ruin of a building, Makoto put together the puzzle on how to get in. For all Mukuro knew, he could be practically speaking another language as he clued out how to unlock the door. She felt stupid, useless... a burden on Makoto. 

One would think all of their successful missions would clue them in that they covered each other’s weaknesses. 

Unfortunately, Junko had long since come and gone; apparently an abandoned island was not a good place to reap despair from humanity. What was there, however, were traces of where she would go next. 

As they boarded a plane to return, both took each other by surprise when they said to each other, in unison, “I’m sorry for getting in your way.”

The looks they gave each other were incredulous, and they ended up laughing.

“How would you have gotten in my way?” Makoto asked. “All I could do was sit there as you took down those robots. I wasn’t any help at all.”

“That’s... how I felt for the rest of the trip. I wasn’t helpful in the investigation at all. You found the files, the maps, the documents.” Mukuro admitted.

“Well, I can’t do those things if I’m filled with bullets,” Makoto laughed. “I’m so glad to have you here.”

Mukuro smiled. Years ago, she hardly even knew how to smile, but when she was with Makoto it was hard to keep one off of her face.  
\------  
Mukuro never would have predicted that one of the hardest things to do was figure out what to do with herself on what was called a, “day off.”

She never had days off in Fenrir. Even if her duties were light, there were usually assassination attempts.

It was a foreign concept to her; the first time it happened, she ended up just staying in her room, cleaning her knives and guns.

Makoto asked her the next day how her day off was, she just blinked and told him how uneventful it was. He was shocked. 

On her next day off, she was surprised that he knocked on her door. Even more surprising was that he walked in with a video game console under his arm. “Ready for the greatest day off?” 

“Makoto, what are you doing?” Mukuro asked. 

“Well, I kind of realized that you don’t know how to relax, so I thought we could play some games together.” He told her, chipperly. “What’s your favorite type of game?”

“I only ever really played First Person Shooters,” she admitted, “my skills made good use of those.”

“Let’s start with those, then we can try a fighting game?” Makoto suggested. Mukuro nodded, tentatively.

She had never played video games with someone. The two of them got... surprisingly competitive. Makoto stood no chance against her at shooting games, but they seemed evenly matched at fighting games. 

“You’re not getting away this time!” Makoto laughed. “Victory is mine!” 

The two blocked out the sound of their button mashing. They began leaning against each other, pushing each other with their shoulders lightly as if it would impact their characters. From the corner of her eye, Mukuro noticed that when Makoto was focusing, he stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. 

_Ah, that’s... that’s so cute,_ Mukuro thought. 

That distraction was enough for Makoto’s italian plumber to throw Mukuro’s bounty hunter character off the stage for the win. 

“Ha!” Makoto laughed. “Good game Mu...ku...ro.” As he turned to say that, he noticed how close their faces had gotten, and how flushed Mukuro looked when she looked into his eyes.

When they realized how close they were, they both pulled away and looked to the ground. 

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Makoto asked, quickly. “A few cafes and stuff around here have opened back up. My treat.” 

Mukuro nodded. “I am hungry, yes.”

“Anything you’re in the mood for?”

“Really, any warm meal is a luxury.” 

“Ah... o... kay.”

The two left the Future Foundation headquarters and walked a few blocks down to a small cafe for a light lunch. They both ordered a few riceballs and drinks, sitting down at a table outside for the nice weather. 

“It’s amazing that the air is already breathable.” Makoto smiled. “I know we can’t fully relax until we’ve captured Junko, but I’m glad we can at least do something like this.”

“I don’t really have context to compare it to,” Mukuro said with a shrug, “I’ve never really eaten at a cafe before.” 

Makoto’s face fell. Just how bad did thingsget under Junko’s thumb? “I’m sorry. Well, if I had known, I’d have done something a little more extravagant.”

The soldier shook her head. “No, I... I like simple.” She folded her arms, embarrassed. “I’m actually really happy right now... to be here with you.”

Makoto was saved from how embarrassed this was as their food was brought to the table. 

“Lunch for the cute couple,” the waitress grinned, setting their food down and walking away.

The two blushed and ate their meal, trying to think of something else to talk about other than the assumption the waitress made. 

Afterwards, as the two began walking back to the living quarters, Makoto asked, “What did you want to do now?”

“Well, I should do some maintenance on my weapons for my next mission,” she said quietly. 

“Ah, well, okay,” he replied, disappointed. “I can leave you to that. I was thinking we could maybe watch a movie, but I don’t want to get in your way.” 

As he turned to walk away, Mukuro grabbed his hand, to his surprise. “W-well. I want to keep... spending time with you.”

Makoto looked at her, shocked. 

“I um... never really had anyone to just hang out with,” Mukuro admitted. “I don’t want to stop. Unless. You want to.” 

Makoto smiled back at her. “No problem. Why don’t you show me how weapon maintenance works?” 

Mukuro’s eyes lit up. “That... sounds like a lot of fun actually. I would adore that.”

For the next few hours, Makoto learned not only how to clean and care for guns, he also learned that Mukuro had favorites and even named a lot of her weapons. 

As he finished cleaning the handgun, just as Mukuro showed him, he handed it back to her, “How’s that?”

She looked the weapon over and smiled. “You took very good care of Grim. Good job.” 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Th-thanks.”

As he brought his hand back, Mukuro noticed a trickle of blood. “Makoto, you’re bleeding.” 

He looked at his hands, shocked. “Oh... must have nicked myself on one of your knives. It doesn’t...” 

Mukuro had stopped listening, and grabbed Makoto’s hand to pull him towards her bathroom, “Come on...”

Makoto said nothing as she pulled him to the sink. She ran the word and placed his hand under it, washing off the blood. Once clean, Mukuro pulled up his hand to examine the wound. “It looks light, a very shallow cut, so you should be okay. Still, I’m going to disinfect it, okay?”

Makoto merely nodded as Mukuro cleaned the small cut. He didn’t wince; it was nothing to that time he got stabbed with a spear. “You’re really good at this, Mukuro.”

As she wrapped it, her face remained composed and stoic. “Knowing how to treat a wound on the battlefield and keep going is something any good soldier knows. I didn’t have any injuries until my fight with Sakura, but I still needed to know how to treat it.” 

“Thank you,” he said, smiling. 

Once again, they found themselves standing with their faces very close together as Mukuro finished. Though they blushed, they didn’t pull away this time.

“May I... say something strange?” Mukuro asked.

He nodded.

“This has, in all honesty, been the most enjoyable day of my life.” Mukuro said in earnest. “I have never had anyone try to plan for me to have fun. I have never anticipated fun. You even took the time to do something I enjoy doing, for no reason other than to make me happy.”

“Well, I hope I succeeded,” Makoto grinned at her.

“You... you did.” She said. “I think... as long as I’m with you. I’m happy.”

That’s when Makoto did something that shocked her; that she never would have seen coming.

He leaned in and kissed her. It felt like her chest was exploding, her face was on fire. Her legs shook and grew weak.

It was the greatest feeling she’d ever had.  
\-----

That had been two years ago now. Two years of kisses (and more). Two years of learning about each other. Two years of missions.

One year since their ultimate goal was completed. 

Mukuro Ikusaba still had nightmares about how her and Makoto finally took down Junko Enoshima. 

It had been a clever plan; Junko knew that Mukuro would want to go alone to take her down, and that setting her up to go through waves and waves of Ultimate Despair was the only way to make Mukuro vulnerable enough to fight. Ragged and worn down, Junko had almost killed Mukuro. As good as her abilities had been, Mukuro could not keep her superhuman fighting abilities on, constantly, for hours. She had limits, as did all humans.

That’s when Makoto showed up on the roof of Hope’s Peak. As Junko held a knife to Mukuro’s throat, Makoto pointed the handgun at the Ultimate Analyst. 

The three of them knew that Makoto had never once picked up a gun in his life. But his luck showed through; he fired, missingly wildly, but the bullet bounced off the retaining roof wall and blew through Junko’s kneecap, crippling her for life. 

In her nightmares, it would always end differently. Sometimes, the gun wouldn’t even be loaded, and Junko would mutilate Makoto. Sometimes, her and Makoto would be thrown over the roof of the school. 

The worst nightmares were when Makoto would laugh in Mukuro’s face and join Junko.

Mukuro sat up in bed and got up, slowly. She reached back across the queen sized bed and breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel the form of Makoto as he slept, peacefully. 

That had been a year ago. 

Her role in both the Tragedy of Hope’s Peak, and the Most Despair-Inducing Tragedy in the World were well known. All her colleagues looked at her in contempt, save for the 78th class who came to know and respect her. 

Still, she never expected that when Makoto stepped in as headmaster of Hope’s Peak, that he would have asked her to come with him as an advisor. 

“What can I offer?” She had asked, seriously. “I’m a soldier. I’m a fighter, not a teacher.”

Makoto had chuckled. “You and I know you’re so much more than just a soldier.” 

But now, in the middle of the night, those memories were even a comfort. It was confirmation that their fight was done, that Makoto was fine, that they could be at peace. 

She slowly walked to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. She slowed her breathing. She was okay.

Just a dream.

She walked back to the bed and laid down, hoping she hadn’t woken up Makoto.

“You okay?” 

She winced as Makoto rolled over and looked at her, sleepily.He didn’t seem to mind though, wrapping his arms around her.

“Just... another nightmare.” She replied. 

“Did I turn evil or did I die?” He asked. 

“I lost you again,” was her answer, as she shook gently. 

He leaned down and kissed her freckles. “Can’t get rid of me that easy, Muku... I love you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

She nuzzled into his chest. “I love you too.”  
\------  
It was another year later that, while she still got nightmares, she was being woken up by something else; nausea. 

“I-I, w-well, I think this is good news,” Mikan Tsumiki, one of the reformed members of the Ultimate Despair said, as she went to get checked out. “If-if it’s not good news, I’m s-sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Mukuro replied, bluntly.

“W-well, y-you’re pregnant!” Mikan replied, letting a smile show just faintly. “C-c-congratulation.”

Mukuro’s eyes widened. 

Pregnant?

Her mind raced; why hadn’t she calculated this risk? She knew how babies were made. And her and Makoto were... usually careful.

Usually.

But even all these years later, she still felt like she was still a cold killer. It was a constant struggle that she had to remind herself that she was more than that, as Makoto said.

But she just figured a tool like her couldn’t actually get pregnant.

It was just more confirmation that she could never fully abandon her humanity.

When she told Makoto these things, he never looked happier. 

“I really must have the Ultimate Luck,” he giggled like a schoolboy.

“Why?” Mukuro asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I get to have a family with someone as awesome as you!” He beamed.

Mukuro’s face burned scarlet. “You can’t possibly mean that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I just...” Mukuro sighed, sitting down on their bed. “I don’t feel like I have the right to do this.”

Makoto sat down next to her. “Why?”

“I know that... I’m different now.” Mukuro said. “But... I just feel like I don’t deserve to bring a new life into the world... when all I’ve done is end lives.”

Makoto wrapped her up in a hug. It was the best feeling in the world to Mukuro. It was like warm sheets fresh out of the dyer, but times one thousand. “You can’t change your past, Mukuro. That was the whole point of when we were in the Future Foundation.”

“To build a better future,” she sighed. “Right.”

“And we did that. We stopped the Ultimate Despair. The world is finally back to some semblance of normal,” Makoto smiled. “And we owe a lot of that to you.” 

“For cleaning up the mess I made,” she replied glumly.

“For stopping your sister so the world could finally move on,” he answered, gently. 

The two sat there, holding each other, for some time. After awhile, Mukuro spoke up again. “Are you sure you want to do this... with me?”

“Of course, Mukuro,” Makoto said, kissing her freckles. “There’s no one else I’d rather have a family with.”

Mukuro nuzzled into his neck, and allowed herself to smile. “Well... maybe... maybe it will be okay.”

“Of course it will. I love you, Mukuro.”

“I love you too. Now let me go, I think I have to puke again.”


End file.
